Tiresome

I had to break off listening to this title about 5 hours in, as it just got so tedious! More angst, more awkwardness, more anxiety, more "it could never work... it must never happen again..."
Oh, get on with it!
A fluffy little rom-com story like this could have been told just as satisfactorily without dragging on for TEN HOURS. Take a pass on this one and re-listen to one of your other favorite rom-coms instead.

15 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

About 50% too long and pointless angst

This started strong, funny as per the phrase “romantic comedy”. But after a couple hours it stopped being funny, and then it kept going. And going. It reads like a bad YA novel that Tackles Issues with Meaningful Conversations and a parade of characters meant to fill a diversity quota. The main character cannot get his head out of his butt. You’d think in 10+ hours a character would evolve, but no. There was no conflict other than the one in his own head. Possibly if you’re in your twenties this book is amazing. If you prefer a little healthy and mature emotional repression in your characters… don’t do it. Your eyes may get stuck from rolling so much.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Wow, that was EXCELLENT

I wasn't sure what to expect but I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely, romantic, modern story. Terrific writing, well-developed, charming characters, great humor, lots of twists and turns, lovely slow burn, and never a dull moment. And, most importantly, representation, queerness and mental health are front and center -- a complete part of the story for many of the characters. It was wonderful to see these topics dealt with so smartly, accurately and sensitively. I especially enjoyed the delicate nuances and complexities of each character - mental struggles, sexuality and identity aren't just one dimensional and the author did an amazing job with these topics. Yes, the story is a bit formulaic but this is what you want in a modern love story: romance tropes cleverly turned on their heads. I don't think I've enjoyed an MM romance this much in a while. Highly recommend.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Fun!

A very fun and cute romcom. I laughed out loud and loved it! Great narration.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Another MM romcom that falls flat

Ever since Red, White & Royal Blue came out, there's been a cascade of badly done MM Romcoms. While this one is better than its predecessors, it still fails.

For one thing, it comes across majorly as fan fiction. There were several scenes throughout that were pretty much knockoffs from McQuiston's work. There was even one line that was exactly the same.

The premise was good, though it didn't fallow through. Reality show with tons of women going after a man. Said man falls for his producer. Good concept. However, for the most part, the contestants were ignored except a few it threw it for good measure. Angie was a strong character. She could carry her own story. So could Charlie's publicist (I won't attempt to spell her name because I'm sure I would get it wrong).

The angst was overdone as though the author knew where they wanted to go, but not how to get there. So they just kept pulling us along on what felt like an unending trip until suddenly... it skipped ahead 3 months. 3 Months where we're shown what Dev's been doing. But he doesn't come across as better. However... he has to be to bring everything together, right? That didn't sell. It felt plastic and contrived and completely not believable. And the producer? She got off majorly considering how horrendous she was, what with not only her extreme phobia, but her desire to screw over anyone with mental health issues.

The ending for Daphne felt so contrived as to be unbelievable. She supposedly had no idea she was a lesbian and then WHAM 6 months after the show ends she's not just come out but is looking for her own princess? Coming to terms with who you are takes time. 6 months is NOT time. It's barely a blip to start figuring out the new you.

Quite honestly, the only thing that kept me listening to the end were the narrators. I adore Vikas Adam who does incredible narration, including differing voices (Just give his Heartstriker's a try). Graham Halstead was decent.

I wish the book industry would. bring us more unique books rather than copy cats. It's annoying.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

My new favorite romance

The Charm Offensive follows the star of a reality dating show (*cough* The Bachelor) falling in love with a producer behind the scenes, but it’s so much more. It’s an LGBTQIA+ love story with an earnest exploration of mental health, and it doesn’t shy away from the hard parts… but that makes the sweet parts that much sweeter. I loved the audiobook, the actors did an amazing job bringing Dev and Charlie to life. This is a story that sticks with you and raises the bar for what contemporary romance stories can be.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

This book was everything!!!

It was so brilliant and like able. The characters felt very three dimensional. They weren’t perfect. They were both neurodivergent and it was beautiful handled. I laughed with them and got so caught up in their story I didn’t want it to end. This MM romance has real substance. In the write up it mentions red white and royal blue and I agree that this story has a similar weight and depth to it. It’s also very light on sexual detail so if you love MM but don’t want something to explicit this is for you. And if you love explicit. You won’t feel cheated by this book.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Love it! X10

Great story and great performances, especially Vikas Adam. Would recommend to any fans of the Bachelor 😉

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Loved it!!

Sweet story including good mental health discussions. Loved the love story because the characters grew and learned how to love themselves first!

absolutely amazing

one my favorite books and audiobooks. the narrators are perfect and make the story magical. 5 stars.